Endless belt or band



1,579,946 F. KEPLER ENDLESS BELT 0R BAND Filed Nov. 8. 1921 Patented Apr. 6, 1926.

4 UNITED STATES, PATENT. OFFICE.

mwm 1. Karma, or AKRON, onI o, AssIGNon 'ro THE B. r. coo'nnrcn COMPANY, or d NEW YORK, v. r aconronnrion OFNEW roan.

ENDLESS BELT on BAND.

' mamas filed November 8, 1921. Serial no. 513,639.

To all who-m it'may concern:

Be it known that I, IRWIN F. KEPLER, acitizen of the United States, residing at Akron, in the county of Summit-and State of Ohio, have invented a certain new and useful'Endless Belt or Band, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to belts and is especially applicable to powertransmission belts including-fan belts of automobiles. V 'vide an improved, durable belt, of simple construction which maybe made comparatively stretchless, and yet strong and highly flexible. n

Of the accompanying drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a preferred form of my improved belt.

Fig, 2 is a fragmentary view showing the Weave of a preferred belt-forming ribbon.

Referring to the drawings, 10 is thebelt, comprising a strip or ribbon of straightlaid, rubberized fabric, coiled upon itself in a plurality of convolutions 11, 11 vulcanized together. In the preferred embodiment of my invention here shown, the beltforming strip or ribbon is straight woven, with selvaged edges (Fig. 2), the warp 12, 12 running lengthwise of the ribbon and the weft 13, 13 being doubled back around the outermost one of the warp threads at the edge of the ribbon. The weave here shown is of the herringbone style, each warp thread passing alternately over and under two of the weft threads, and vice versa, the threads thus having a relatively small amount of crimp and consequently a small amount of stretchability as. compared with the threads of ordinary fabric. 'The ribbon being of uniform width, the selvage edges of successive convolutions directly overlie each other, forming strong wear-resisting edges forthe belt, so that it is not rapidly worn or frayed at the edges if run on flanged pulleys or against a belt-shifter.

Each end portion 14 of the ribbon is cut to a tapered form so that the cut edges 16 present severed ends of both the warp and weft threads, and said out edges are of considerable length, and for the most part lie well within the side edges of the belt. The end portions 14, 14 are preferably, as shown in Fig. 1, out to the same angle on both sides, so that their tips lie at the middle of the belt.

In the manufacture of the belt each tip is bands or endless Its principal object is to pro-.

1 overlaid with a thin piece 15 of sheet rubber which becomes united with the rubber coatmg of the ribbon during vulcanization and aids in binding said tip to the body of the belt.

The end portions 140i the ribbon being I cut as above described, a long, raw edge is provided, and this character of edge alone, as compared with a selvage edge, gives a superior adhesion of the strip end to the canizationunder pressure, intimately associates itself with the fibers of the severed thread ends, the twist of the latterbeing relieved by the cutting, permitting them to flatten somewhat against the body of the belt, and they are thus firmlyv anchoredin place. Since a large number of weft threads are thus anchored at their ends, and the warp threads when pulled grip the weft threads by reason of the crimp of the weave the anchorage of the weft-thread-ends is added to that of the warp-thread-ends, and a very good adhesion of the end of the strip or ribbon is secured, especially when, as shown, the end portion is cut on both edges and given a taper of considerable length. This form of taper has the further advan- .65 body of the belt,as the rubber, during vull tage that in use on the usual pulleys the the strip-end, so that the tip is not impelled I to spring away from the bodyof the belt.

Other advantages of the strip-end cut obliquely at both sides are that there is no abrupt angle or shoulder on the strip-end at the edge of the belt to be struck or torn loose by a pulley flange, and the tip and adjacent part of the strip-end is sufficiently spaced from the edges of the belt to avoid the disintegrating effect of the oil or grease which may encroach upon the belt from the sides. The straight-woven fabric makes the belt substantially non stretchable and permits a thin and consequently highly flexible belt to be produced, having ample strength.

an end cut on a line traversing both the Warp and the Weft of the fabric, said end overlying and being vulcanized under pressure tothe body of the belt.

2. An endless" belt comprising a convoluted ribbon of rubberized'woven fabirc having both side edges thereof selvagedand awoven.

end thereof cut to a tapered form, said tapered end overlying and being vulcanized. under pressure to a part of said ribbon, both side edges of said tapered-end receding from the side edges of the part of said ribbon which it overlies.

- 3. An endless belt comprising a single spirally wound strip of straightdaid, rubberized, Woven fabric having a tapered Woven end, said tapered end overlying and being vulcanized under pressure to a part of said strip, both side edges of said-tapered end receding from the side edges of the part of the strip which it overlies. r as An endless belt comprising a single ribbon of straight-laid, rubberized, Woven fabric wound in a plurality of spiral convolutions,

said ribbon having both side edges selvaged and both Woven ends cut to a tapered form,

the side edges of tapered ends receding 1 beri-zed Webbing. and being vulcanized thereto under pressure, the side edges of the tapered end receding-from the side edges of the said portion of the webbing.

6, An. endless belt comprising a single section of lntbberized webbing wound to provide a loop having several plies, said Webbing having both ends cut to a tapered form, the side edges of the tapered ends receding from the edges of portions of the webbingadjaoent there-to, said tapered ends being overlaid at least in part by a thin piece of sheet rubber, the severalplies including the tapered endsbeing secured togetherby vulcanization.

In witnesswhereof I have hereimto setmy hand this 4th day of November, 192i.

IRWIN F- KEPLER. 

